But one prominent NFL analyst doubts that Cooter’s offense will be able to sustain its success going forward.

“It’ll get figured out,” NFL Network analyst Heath Evans said at the Super Bowl last week. “Listen, it’s not a knock on Matthew. Matthew’s been a very streaky quarterback. But what (former offensive coordinator) Joe (Lombardi) was trying to implement there is what Matthew needed. To be an elite (QB) and to do what Matthew, I believe, is capable of doing physically, he need that mental challenge and that mental stimulation.”

The Lions scrapped their New Orleans Saints-style offense seven games into last season, firing Lombardi and two assistants hours before traveling to London for a game against the Kansas City Chiefs.

Stafford had 13 touchdowns and nine interceptions under Lombardi. In Cooter’s controlled passing attack that more resembled what Lions coach Jim Caldwell ran with the Indianapolis Colts, he had 19 touchdowns with just four picks.

“I know it’s a difficult offense,” said Evans, who played two seasons with the Saints when Lombardi was quarterbacks coach in 2009-10. “It’s a lot to swallow, but it was the right track. And I don’t know why it got bucked. But the short little, ‘OK, let’s do the quick fix’ ... . OK. We saw a quick fix with (Robert Griffin III) his rookie year. And it wasn’t the knee injury holding him back.

“The point-and-shoot offense of just ball in, ball out, you’re going to beat the bad teams. Chip Kelly beat the bad teams. What happened with the good teams? … The short passing game will beat the undisciplined, stupid defenses. And when you play the good ones, the playoff-caliber teams, you’re going to go home in tears.”

The Lions won six of their final nine games with Cooter calling plays and averaged about four points more per game (24.3) than under Lombardi (19.9).

Their only win against a team that finished above .500 came in Week 10, against the Green Bay Packers.

But ESPN analyst Trent Dilfer said he believes that Stafford made legitimate strides in the second half of last season and that Cooter’s offense was a better fit for the Lions' personnel.

“They’re limited up front, and that’s what killed them,” Dilfer said. “Early in the season, it seemed as if their plan didn’t fit the personnel they had up front. And I think what Jim Bob did was he kind of got everybody saying, ’OK, here’s who we are, here’s how you make it work.’ And I think Matthew bought into that."

Evans said he’s not sure why there was a disconnect between Stafford and Lombardi.

“I know Joe real well. I know how smart he is. I know what a good teacher he is,” Evans said. “I know Matthew a little bit, but I’ve never sat in the classroom with Matthew. I’m sure Matthew knew all the X's and O's, but the mental progress, or the process of that offense at the line of scrimmage, I’m telling you, Drew (Brees), Peyton (Manning), Tommy (Brady), these guys are like, these are brain surgeons. And maybe Joe needed to back off because, just maybe, Matthew wasn’t capable of some of that stuff. And so maybe there was a balancing act that Joe couldn’t really get together.”

For those reasons, Evans said he understands why the Lions changed coordinators last year, even though they might have been better off staying the course.

“I try to look at, ‘OK, what does the tape tell me?’” Evans said. “So I can look at the tape and say, ‘Hey, he’s really struggling in the five-step rhythmic passing game of what Joe’s trying (to do). He’s struggling here. He’s really struggling postsnap of getting through his progressions the way he should.’ But I don’t know how much Joe was trying to bend the offense to Matthew or how much he was dialing it back. And I think Matthew’s a smart player. I’ve seen him do I think a lot of mentally tough stuff on the football field. So where his wife kind of came to his defense, I kind of appreciate that about his wife.

“So I don’t know what the dynamic was, I just know the offense, the quick fix isn’t always the best thing. Sometimes it’s best just to push through and get a better offense. Maybe it’s six weeks or six months or even a year removed, but push through the grind of it.”